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Madman Szalinski
|resides = Parkersburg, West Virginia |billed_from = The Fire Fields |trainer = Christian "The Comet" Williams Travis Williams |debut = April 20, 2002 |death_date = n/a (came really close on June 1, 2014)|death_place = n/a (hopefully Dixieland)|previous_efeds = UTA, FGA, FRONTIER, CWF-I, SCW, CPW, X3W, PW, EPW, PWO, XPWA, TNT, UWA|retired = December 31, 2015|current_efeds = n/a|handler = The "God Damn Son" Guy|winloss_record = L-C (Lost Count)}} Madman Szalinski (born Jeremiah James Cundiff on June 8, 1985) is a former American professional wrestler. He has appeared in numerous promotions throughout his career, including the United Toughness Alliance, Pro Wrestling FRONTIER, Frontier Grappling Arts, Skyfall Wrestling Alliance, CWF-Ignition, Supreme Championship Wrestling, Phoenix Wrestling, Forza Wrestling Alliance, Catholic Panda Wrestling, X3Wrestling, Evolution Pro Wrestling, Prominent Wrestling Organization, Xtreme Pain Wrestling Alliance, TNT Wrestling, and United Wrestling Alliance. He has appeared in other promotions as well. Szalinski is also the owner of Cheap White Foam Studios, an online media and marketing company, as well as a member of the Unsanctioned committee responsible for the "Unsanctioned" independent series of events. He was married to fellow wrestler Ariel Shadows for several years, and is close friends with former tag team partner Graham Clauson. He can also be found on Twitter at the infamous @autotunemypenis. 1999-2004 In the fall of 1999, a fourteen year old Jeremy Cundiff began training along with the Williams Family (Christian, Travis, and Andrea - the latter of whom he later was engaged to.) Due to the rural area and lack of administration by the state of West Virginia, Jeremy was able to wrestle on many cards as a preliminary wrestler. In the year 2001, Christian lobbied for the United Wrestling Alliance to sign him and was able to convince them to do so. After working as a producer and announcer for several months, a 230-pound Cundiff made his televised debut in April of 2003, defeating Triple X. This was the heaviest Cundiff ever weighed in the ring. In May, Cundiff had won the UWA European Championship, a belt he later lost one month later. At this point, it was suggested that Cundiff move to UWA's sister-promotion, TNT Wrestling. Within one year, Cundiff had held all active championships in the company (save the Television title.) However, a knee injury kept Cundiff on the sidelines for most of the second half of 2004. Upon his return, Cundiff soon shuffled back to UWA, where he had a major rejuvenation of his career with a long run holding the UWA United States Championship. This was also the first time he ever played a heel, giving himself the moniker "The Most Hated Man In America" after an extremely controversial promo cut a week after Hurricane Katrina from the flooded streets of New Orleans (UWA's headquarters were in New Orleans). 2005-2008 In October of 2005, Andrea Williams was murdered in the home she shared with her older brothers. While Jeremy was briefly a suspect, it was ultimately determined that the man responsible was her own brother, Travis. In February of 2006, Christian and Travis Williams died after an accident in London, England. Police highly suspected foul play, but there was no evidence of such. Cundiff will only mention that he knows the truth, but will not explain the details. Cundiff and new-girlfriend Ariel Shadows remained out of the business for two years. Cundiff later stated he needed time to recharge himself after losing his family, as well as work on his health issues. In 2008, Cundiff returned to the ring stating that "don't matter how good you feel if you can't afford to stay that way." He also adopted the Madman Szalinski moniker around this time, stating that "I've used my real name for so long, now it's time to switch it up a bit. Besides, you could call me Cheesy Gonzalez and people would still pay to see me do what I do in the ring. They know who it is and they don't care. They will still get their money's worth from me and that's all that matters." It was around this time that Cundiff found his wealth. Court records were sealed from their struggle to keep his inheritance from the Williams clan (while there was no statement in the will specifically about the money, the will did state that all assets and any property included in said assets was to be left to Jeremy in full.) Despite winning the court's ruling and being allowed to keep the money, Cundiff still treads lightly with the use of his full name. As recently as 2012, there was still an open FBI file on Jeremy Cundiff, Ariel Shadows, the Williams clan, and the money in question. Szalinski has not yet been denied access to any contry he has worked in or visited (including an incident with GDW in which the Chinese government refused him entry into China which they later overturned.) In December of 2013, it was confirmed that the files had been closed and sealed. 2009-2013 In XPWA, Jeremy Cundiff won the World Championship, and strained to reinstate the XPWA Tag Team Championships as well. However, the company closed in 2009 (and with it, Cundiff never used his real name working for a promotion again.) Szalinski found himself working for PWO soon after, but was unable to parallel the success found earlier. In November of 2009, Szalinski finally reached the pinnacle and won the PWO World Championship from Kris Keebler, a belt he held until the PWO-EW merger in the beginning of 2010, when Keebler won it back. Throughout 2010 and the beginning of 2011, Szalinski clashed on and off screen with the now merged EPW's management, particularly Brydon Talinsdale (the owner) and Graham Clauson (wrestler turned commentator.) He began to don the mask in 2010 after a rather brutal match with Malicia and Callista Savage, where it was thought he had suffered massive trauma to the face. Despite a brief period in the summer where Madman momentarily worked to patch things up with those he had wronged, he eventually found himself against Brydon and Graham once again. He also held the EPW World Championship briefly during this time. Szalinski always maintained that he was ostracized from the main event picture in EPW due to him not being a "corporate guy" and because he was not as big of a name in such inter-promotional federations such as CWC that his spot (earnesd through many victories and his own two World title victories in the past few months) was being given to other stars coming into the company who had not even debuted When X3W opened in January of 2011, Szalinski quickly rose to the top as the comapny's most hated star. Finally, the combination of losing the X3W Championship Tournament finals to Wendy Briese and his wife's kidnapping (although it is rumored Ariel would have left Madman willingly if Psycho Soldier had not kidnapped her) forced Szalinski to undergo some major soul searching. In reality, Szalinski had been heavily dependant upon pills in recent months and was asked several times to go to rehab (one time in particular being directly after the Savage match.) An untaped intervention with Graham, X3W commentator Gina Winters, Brydon, Rob Budai, and Darren Hughes combined with the return of an unharmed Ariel Shadows finally snapped Szalinski from his trance for good. During 2011 to 2013 Szalinski has toured with Ariel and Graham Clauson as the Shoot Kings, traveling through several companies. Through the controversy at CPW, to the Graham/Keebler match in PW, to the tag title tournament loss in SCW, to the bitter split in Skyfall, and to the current day the remainder of the X3W core group still maintains close contact (with the exception of Brydon Talinsdale, wanted by American and British authorities for stealing approximately $1.2m from the Shoot Kings during his time as their manager and whose whereabouts are currently unknown.) 2013 Notable was Madman Szalinski's victory in FRONTIER's Open House II, where the winner received a cash prize along with a guaranteed title shot for the GFC World Heavyweight Championship. Prior to agreeing to compete as a representative of CWF Ignition, Szalinski agreed to forfeit any prizes won. However, Madman did win the battle royal despite claiming publically that he did not have good luck in the past in battle royals. He signed with FRONTIER the first of February 2013, claiming he would earn a shot the hard way. In May, he had been announced as the new #1 contender once again, but chose to forfeit the title shot once more, cutting a scathing promo about how the desire to be champion had brought out the worst in so many other people (himself included) that he did not wish to compete for a World title. "I've learned something about titles, sir...they're bullshit! Every time I ever did something I regretted in this business, it was over a title. Every friend I ever sold out, it was over a title. Every time I crossed the line and went too far, it was over a title. And it’s always the world title, too. Everybody wants to be the champ. If they ain’t the champ, they’d do anything in the world to be the champ! If they are the champ, they’ll do anything in the world to stay the champ! Perfectly sane men and women turn into barbarians, into unrecognizable piles of ASSHOLE... BECAUSE THEY WANNA BE THE GOD DAMN WORLD CHAMPION!" - Szalinski, at Commonwealth Carnage (FRONTIER, 2013) [1] Szalinski requested that the GFC Commonwealth title, inactive since the 1980s, be reinstated and he be allowed to compete for it. After losing to Chandler Scott in a pre-advertised match which was abruptly turned into a #1 contender's match, Szalinski was then allowed to choose an opponent to face for the GFC Commonwealth Championship. He chose fellow UWA/TNT alumni Jason Talbot, whom he defeated on April 21st to win the GFC Commonwealth Championship. During his title reign lasting over six months, Szalinski competed on the same level as GFC World champ Chandler Scott, with two of his only four losses in FRONTIER against Chandler. He created a custom championship called the "UnCommonwealth Championship", using the phrase "you're facing a very uncommon champion" while referencing the emphasis on athletic, sport-like competition, the rounds system and strict rules regarding acceptable maneuvers, and the lack of gimmicks, showmanship, and disrespect in the Commonwealth division. On November 10th, Szalinski defended his championship against Summer Collins. Due to the interference of a masked intruder, Szalinski was disqualified after using a closed fist on Summer whilst the masked man attempted to enter the ring. Due to the Commonwealth division's rules, the disqualification resulted in the title changing hands. Also, in 2013 the Shoot Kings finally won their first Tag Team gold. However, their first title defense was extremely controversial. In the GFC Invitational III tournament, it was announced that the historically singles-competition tournament would this year be a tag team contest, with the winning team receiving shots at the GFC Tag Team titles. As the Shoot Kings were in the tournsment, it was announced that they would both win individual shots at the GFC World Heavyweight title were they to win the tournament (it should be noted that GFC World Heavyweight Champion Chandler Scott and his partner, Jon Collins were in the tournament representing their stable Godfathers of Wrestling.) Shortly before the finals and after both teams had wrestled twice, FRONTIER GM Andreas Lasiewiscz (also a member of GoW) made the finals of the tournament a GFC Tag Title match unannounced. The Shoot Kings went on to lose in the finals to Collins and Scott, with much of the FRONTIER roster protesting the decision afterwards. Chandler Scott then went on to interfere in the Shoot Kings' bid to win the FGA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team titles, pushing Madman off the ladder as he was within a fingertip's reach of the titles. The GFC III tournament would be Madman Szalinski's last appearance to date as a wrestler for the company. On February 9, 2014 Madman Szalinski was introduced as a new partial owner of FRONTIER. With a 49% share, and with Lasiewiscz on an indefinite LOA (due to an unrelated personal situation) and CJ Osborne seemingly stepping back, it appears that Szalinski has a good portion of control in the company. In late 2013, rumors began to slowly swirl around that Madman Szalinski had decided to retire from active competition in 2014. Shortly after FRONTIER's first show in 2014, it was announced that Madman Szalinski's contract would not be renewed, and that he would be released. During Frontier Grappling Arts' second episode of Battleground live, Madman Szalinski missed an X-Buster and landed headfirst on the floor, suffering a grade III concussion. [2] It is also widely rumored that Szalinski discovered several other complications ongoing as well, hinting on Twitter about the severity of his health. Upon being a juvenile diabetic since the age of ten, Szalinski has suffered nine concussions in his fourteen year career, most of them in the past seven years. He has also suffered broken feet, all ten toes, all ten fingers, and has heart issues related to a double foot stomp delivered by Wendy Briese in 2011 during an X3W match. A report that leaked online in early 2014 detailed the specifics of his condition. [3] 2014-2015 Upon entering UTA, Madman expressed the desire to work a light schedule, and not to compete directly for any championships. However, when his slated opponent for an upcoming iPPV (Chance von Crank) left the company, combined with the sudden injury of #1 contender Dr. EMO, Szalinski was placed in a cage match set to take place on March 23rd for the UTA World Championship against Abdul bin Hussain A.K.A. "Butcher of Basra". The interference of Sean Jackson prevented him from winning the title. After a few more months of turmoil, a triple threat Steel Hell match was signed between the three men. Madman Szalinski was able to come out on top and win the UTA Championship. On June 1, 2014 shortly after winning the UTA Championship Szalinski fell and was rushed to a Miami hospital, where he had been diagnosed as comatose following a heart attack. Szalinski would lie in the hospital for two weeks, waking while a segment for UTA's flagship program Wrestleshow was being filmed outside of his room. When Szalinski returned in late July, he appeared to be in much better physical condition. However, this was not enough to save him from a four-on-one beatdown courtesy of The Dynasty which cost him the UTA Championship at the Ring King PPV. However, at the main event of Seasons Beatings PPV he would defeat the future UTA World Champion La Flama Blanca in a match that was suprisingly clean, with no interference from Dynasty or foul play from the man who had turned on him in Mexico to join the heel group. After making La Flama Blanca tap, Madman disappeared from the UTA for almost a year after his one-year dear lapsed without a renewal. Relations were strained between Madman and the UTA, but after several months bridges began to slowly be repaired, starting with a meeting at Victory XL in London where Madman appeared briefly on-air (to the chagrin of many of his former co-workers.) At International Affairs on November 15th, during a UTA World Championship match between Eric Dane and La Flama Blanca, Madman Szalinski made his return to the ring by acting as a referee when the official during the match was down. With Madman personally delivering the three count, Eric Dane became the new UTA World Champion - and the duo formed alongside Colton Thorpe and "Beautiful" Bobby Dean to form The Pantheon, the UTA's answer for Dynasty. Madman's second run in the company was very short and he only appeared in a couple of matches, losing his final contest to Cayle Murray on the main event of Victory XLIII after quitting the company just three days prior. Szalinski also appeared for RRS in the HoliCraze Hell Tournament II, announcing his intent to do so prior to his appearance at International Affairs. As of February 17, 2016 Madman Szalinski has not announced a return to the ring, and aside from Twitter has not signed in any capacity with any organization. Personal life Madman was married to Ariel Shadows from 2012-2015, after dating for several years prior. Their reason for divorce is still not publically known. He is currently dating fellow wrestler Jacqui Monroe. He has a beagle-weiner mixed dog named Peach, who is featured in many of his productions as well as her own UTA webisode, Peach's Predictions. Peach passed away suddenly on November 28, 2015. Currently, Szalinski claims a net worth of $560 million dollars, but "can only get to about 200 of it...the rest is tied up in business accounts, bonds, stocks, stupid stuff that I really don't need. I only got it because it's worth more when I sell it." He had invested in several wrestling promotions, including Ronie's Rasslin' Services and Girl Power Wrestling. He was also close friends with Darren "The Bomber" Hughes, who died in April of 2013 in an automobile accident. He remains close friends with Graham Clauson and the Budai clan, as well as Thatcher Rex. Signature moves - Figure 4 around ringpost (only in no-DQ situations) - Tecmo Elbows - Scoopstone (tilt-a-whirl belly to belly piledriver) - Deathtrap (front guillotine w/ full guard) - X-Buster (Shooting Star Senton) Championships won - UWA European (2003) - TNT Hardcore (2003) - TNT Tag Team (2003) - TNT Eurasian (2003) - TNT United States (2003-2004) - TNT World Heavyweight (2004) - TNT United States (2005) - UWA United States (2005) - UWA Tag Team (2006) - XPWA World Heavyweight (2008 - 2009) - XPWA Tag Team (2008 - 2009) - PWO World Heavyweight (2009 - 2010) - EPW World Heavyweight (2010) - X3W World Championship Tournament finalist (2011) *lost to Wendy Briese* - SCW Tag Team #1 Contender's Tournament winner *finals ruled no contest, both teams declared #1 contenders and placed in triple-threat title match (2012) - FRONTIER Open House II Winner (2013) - GFC Commonwealth Championship (2013) - GFC World Tag Team Championship (2013) - UTA Champion (2014)